Callie's Four

This little cutie turned 4 today.  I can't believe it.  She's such a big girl.  Other than the incessant "why" questions that can sometimes get tiresome, I love her inquisitive nature.  She is so curious and smart and fun and nearly perfect.  Every single day I thank my Heavenly Father that she is a part of our family. 

Today, I cried.  You see, the morning started so great.  I had totally decorated with balloons and was so looking forward to doing fun things today with her.  I mean, in some ways I've been more excited about her birthday than I was about Christmas!  I'm not kidding.  And then, the throwing up began.  Yes, I have the flu.  On Callie's birthday!  It started at therapy with Sammy.  And what did Callie do?  "It's ok Mommy," as she tries to comfort me.  "Are you ok?" she asks immediately after to make sure I really am ok.  She was only worried about me.  Driving home, I had to open the car door to throw up (something I've never had to do before).  And she said, "Mommy, are you ok?  Are you done throwing up?"  I felt so bad that here it was, her birthday, and she was only concerned about me. 

I cried as I told her that I was so sorry I was sick on her special day.  And that's when she realized and said, "Oh no.  Mommy.  Who's going to take me to school on my birthday?"  She has been so excited to go to school on her birthday and bring in rice krispy treats for her class.  "I will.  Callie.  I will make sure you get to school today."  And she was ok with that.  When we got home, I went right to the couch.  Every time before I threw up, she came over, rubbed my arm and gave me a little pot and said, "Here you go Mommy.  It'll be ok."  Seriously.  This girl is something special.  I tell her often how she'll be a great mommy one day...this is just one example of her mothering nature.  Callie has a heart of gold and really is going to be such a good mom.  (As a side note...and this is just cute...when I tell her she's going to be a good mommy one day, many times she comes back with, "But I'm already a mommy, to my babies."  Ah.  Makes my heart melt every single time.  The first time she was that was in the grocery store, and the check-out person squealed and said, "That is the cutest thing I've ever heard in my entire life."  I replied with, "I know!  Me too!"  AHHH Callie is so cute!) 

All day I've been completely out of commission.  Analisa took Callie to school.  Peggy took Sammy to Scribbles and Giggles.  Peggy picked Callie up from school and took her to McDonald's (something Callie's been looking forward to for months).  I've been sleeping or throwing up most all of the day.  But, because of everyone helping out, I'm pretty confident Callie had a great birthday.  The festivities will last longer this year because I refuse to not have a special day with her.  As her mommy, I want to celebrate her big day, even if it's not on her real birthday.

Callie is one special girl.  She has brought so much love and excitement in my life, from the very moment my phone rang 4 years ago telling me that back in Detroit we had a baby for us.  Only hours later did the Spirit give me a glimpse into the person she is.  Without having met her yet, I felt this sense of ... it's hard to explain.  I just knew she was meant to be in our family.  And I knew there was a tenderness to her.  It was a really cool experience for me.  And with every passing day, the Spirit's whisper to me has been confirmed.  She is one of the most caring and loving little people I know.  She's fun and can be extremely fiesty.  But she has a tender heart and really wants to make sure people are ok.  Callie notices kids who are shy and maybe even scared and then does something about it.  She goes up, takes their hand, and says "Come on.  Do you want to play with me?"  Or, "Let's go together."  She is so Christ-like.  And yes, the other day she had a tantrum that lasted 1.5 hours on and off.  She was in her room a very long time that day.  That's never happened before and I was completely shocked.  So, yeah.  She's a kid who is pushing the limits and trying to figure out her world.  But she's inherently kind, gentle, loving, and full of beauty.  I can't even begin to express how much I love this little girl and I try to tell her often how happy I am to be her mommy. 

Happy Birthday Callie.  I love you so much.